I LOVE to read. There's no doubt about it. And I've read a lot of books as a consequence, some good, some bad, and some in-between. Heck, reading is partially what got me into writing in the first place. But, that isn't to say that there are a few things writers seem to do that really irk or just flat-out irritate to no end.
1. Excessive or "purple" prose.
For those of you who don't know, prose is described as being really flowery language. Many writers use prose to appeal to our senses, to paint a picture in our minds. Now, prose itself isn't bad, IF used in moderation. But, if you use too much of it, then it can really bog down the action or the "flow" of your story, and whatever plot you may have is buried beneath paragraphs of near-endless, flowery descriptions. Eragon of the Inheritance Cycle is a terrible example of this. This also applies to other books in the cycle. Seriously, he pretty spends TWO WHOLE pages describing a flower which has NO bearing on the plot, whatsoever. In fact, if you were to remove ALL the unnecessary prose in any of the books of the cycle, they would be MUCH shorter than the door-stoppers they currently are. Look, I'm all up for creating vivid imagery or using flowery language to paint a nice, clear picture in the reader's mind, but use it sparingly please.
2. TOO little prose.
It is true that TOO much prose is bad, but so is using TOO little. It's about finding a balance. You should have enough words to paint a picture in the reader's mind without having to bog down or interrupt the "flow" of your story.
3. Shoehorned love interest.
Let's face it, it seems as though EVERY movie, show, book, graphic novel, comic, etc. always have a token love interest, whether it's necessary or not. Why is this? Who knows. Maybe it's the idea of "love is universal", or maybe they're trying to draw in the female demographic. Whatever the case may be, it's annoying. But, then again, I'm not a fan of romances or romantic sub-plots in general. So maybe I'm biased. Think of it this way, imagine that the love interest in your story didn't exist. If her existence doesn't develop the character in ANY shape or form, or plays an important role in the OVERALL storyline, then she/he isn't necessary, and should be sent to the scrapheap.
4. Switching PoVs (Point of View).
To be more specific, the EXCESSIVE switching of PoVs. Again, this is like prose, in that, if used sparingly, it isn't so bad. The problem occurs when the writer switches between five different PoVs every chapter or two, sometimes even mid-chapter! Just like prose, this disrupts the "flow" of the story, and it gives off the impression that the plot has ADD, and it couldn't be bothered to stick with a scene and DEVELOP it. What makes this especially grating is when the writer switches PoV during an intense action sequence, or when the story has reached its denouement. It forces you sift through pages of a scene which will have NOTHING to do with what's happened before the switch, and will probably contribute very little if any to the plot at all, before you can get back to the intense action sequence. It KILLS the suspense or intensity, if handled incorrectly.
5. Damsel in Distress Syndrome
Okay, let me be clear on something. I’m NOT against damsels in distresses. In fact, I enjoy stories where the hero has to save the love of his life from danger. However, Damsel in Distress Syndrome is what happens when one of the female characters in a story BECOMES a damsel in distress, even THOUGH it is shown within the story that she is more than able to take good care of herself, is competent, and can hold her own in a fight. This is especially grating, and sadly, it’s somewhat prevalent for whatever reason. If you spend the entire first-half of the book setting up how much of a badass this chick is, or at least, can protect herself, then there should be NO reason as to why she suddenly becomes helpless at the drop of a hat, unless you have a REALLY good reason for it. And because of Damsel in Distress Syndrome, women who DO become damsels in distress, often don’t do a THING to escape. Usually, they’ll just sit there and HOPE someone comes to rescue them. If they are as able-bodied as you say they are, shouldn’t they at least TRY to escape instead of sitting around moping?
You know what else bothers me? Now, this mostly pertains to movies, but have you noticed that a woman suddenly becomes helpless if you twist just ONE of her arms behind her. “Oh no! What ever will I do? It’s not like I can’t kick you in the crotch or step you on or foot, or ram the back of my head against your ugly mug. :/”
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